It’s one of Mexico’s most famous soups. Caldo de pollo is an easy one pot meal that will warm you from head to toe! I’ve watched my mom make this soup countless times, and while it will never be as delicious as hers, I think my recipe is still pretty amazing😋. Keep reading and I’ll show you how to master the caldo de pollo so you can enjoy it in the coming cold months.
How to Make Caldo de Pollo
Place the chicken, half of the onion and 1 garlic into a large stock pot. Add 6 cups of water and set it over medium high heat. Season with 1 Tbsp of kosher salt ( use 1/2 Tbsp if using table salt ). Cook uncovered for 35 minutes. In the mean time, chop the other half of the onion, the carrots, potatoes and zucchini. Mince the garlic and puree the tomato. Cut each corn into 4 pieces ( 8 pieces in total ).
Once done, remove the chicken pieces and place them onto a plate. Use a sieve over a large bowl to strain the chicken broth. Set the broth and chicken aside. Using the same stock pot ( dry with paper towel ), add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and set over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for a couple minutes, then add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant. Add the pureed tomato and let it simmer until most the juice evaporates, about 3 minutes.
Carefully add in the chicken broth. You can use a ladle to scoop in some of the broth and then pour the rest in. This helps to avoid getting burnt by the steam. Add in the chicken, carrots, rice, and potatoes. Make a slit in the jalapeño and drop that in as well, simmer for 10 minutes.
Next add in the corn, zucchini and cilantro. Taste the broth and add more salt if you feel it needs it. Cook 10 more minutes or until the veggies are tender. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!
Variations and Storing
- Chicken: chicken legs, chicken thighs, chicken breast.
- Potatoes: russet potatoes, yellow potatoes, red potatoes.
- Zucchini: green zucchini, yellow zucchini, crookneck squash, chayote.
- Additions/Substitutions: 1 cup of pasta, celery, green beans, bay leaf, add the whole onion in step 1 if you don’t want onion chunks in the soup.
- Toppings: Fresh chopped cilantro, Chopped green onions, jalapeño slices or salsa!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Now go nail this caldo de pollo recipe!😃 Till the next one,
Caldo De Pollo ( Chicken Soup )
Equipment
- Stock Pot
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 6-8 chicken legs
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 2 carrots
- 2 potatoes
- ¼ cup rice
- 2 yellow ears of corn husk removed and cleaned
- 1 zucchini
- 1 jalapeño (optional)
- 1 Tbsp salt +more to taste
- 1 tsp cilantro chopped
- lime wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Add chicken, half of the onion, and 1 garlic in a large stock pot. Pour in 6 cups of water and 1 Tbsp of kosher salt( half if using table salt ). Set over medium high heat and cook 35 minutes.
- In the mean time; chop veggies, mince garlic, cut each ear of corn into 4 pieces, and puree tomato. Take chicken out and set on a plate. Place a sieve over a large bowl and strain the broth. set aside.
- Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the dried stock pot and set over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for a couple minutes, then add the minced garlic. Cook 1 minute then add the pureed tomato. Let it cook for a few minutes, stir every so often, then carefully add in the chicken broth. You can use a ladle to scoop some broth in, then pour in the rest.
- Add the chicken, potatoes, carrots, and rice. Make a slit in the jalapeño and drop that in as well and cook 10 minutes. Taste broth and season with more salt if necessary.
- Add the corn, zucchini and cilantro and cook 10 more minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
- Serve hot with lime wedges. Enjoy!
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